The Implementation of Problem Based Learning in English Department, College of Languages at Salahaddin University-Erbil
Prof. Dr. Fatimah Rashid Hasan Al Bajalani1, Asst. Prof. Dr. Lanja A. Dabbagh2
English Department, College of Languages, Salahaddin University- Erbil
[email protected] [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Problem Based Learning (PBL) has not been used as a teaching strategy in English departments at Salahaddin University-Erbil because of students and teachers’ unawareness, the large classes and shortage of time to cover the syllabus. This paper is an attempt to implement PBL in EFL classes and find out its effectiveness. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze PBL, to implement it in EFL classes and to find its influence on developing students’ skills. PBL was used in one of the elective courses for 4th year students and a questionnaire was delivered to find out how effective this strategy is and what skills students developed as a result of using PBL. It is concluded that PBL has improved students’ critical thinking, independent study skill, personal and social responsibility, and strong communication skills. The outcomes of the study are a pointer for EFL educators to deploy PBL as a teaching strategy to enhance students’ English language ability.
Keywords: Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Ability, Independent Study Skills, Problem-Based Learning
doi:10.23918/vesal2021v13